Princess Diaries and MHC

I've read the entire Princess Diaries series twice, and if you have read any of he books, you will notice Mia's obsession with the smell of Michael's (her boyfriend) neck.  She always has to smell it in order to feel comforted and she loves it.  However, she gets a new boyfriend in the 9th book and no matter what cologne she gives him, he doesn't smell right.  

Mia isn't crazy, although some beg to differ, she is experiencing a major histocompatibility complex, MHC.  MHC is a family of genes that are responsible for mate selection through olfaction (sense of smell).  The book briefly mentions that you are more likely to select a mate that smells different from you to prevent genes that are too similar and will produce weaker offspring.  Women are more likely to choose a mate that smells differently in order to produce offspring with better immune systems and a lower risk of inbreeding.  The book also mentioned speculation that women on contraceptive pills no longer chose mates who smelled different from them since they couldn't ovulate, which makes sense.

This video explains how MHC is there to seek out and destroy all the infections that enter the body by killing pathogens, parasites, viruses or malfunctioning cells.  Remember, the more dissimilar the MHC, the better the person will smell to you, if they are not wearing cologne or perfume.

There was an experiment done on this and it involved men wearing their t-shirt for a nights when they go to bed. The shirts were then collected and given to women to smell and rate the men's sex appeal solely based by their smell.  The women ended up choosing the man that had genes that were different from their own.  Choosing a mate with different genes gives the offspring a better chance for survival.

Something interesting (and a bit gross) that I learned while doing research on this was that there's a trend going around known as pheromone parties.  For this "party" you bring a sweaty shirt in a plastic bag, number it, pass it around to guests to smell, and whoever chooses your shirt as the best smelling one, is your MHC match.

Next time you pass by someone who smells good, will you wonder, "Is that my mate?"

Ginkgo Biloba: Helpful or Harmful?

My mother loves herbs and natural supplements.  My grandmother was sort of like a shaman and had cures for just about any illness, excluding cancer and similar illnesses, of course.  My family always had a preference for natural and herb supplements, only going to the doctor when necessary.  Although my family hasn't used Ginkgo Biloba, it is still one of the best selling herb supplements in the U.S. and Europe.

I found this video that goes over what we read in the book and includes more information.  While ginkgo Biloba doesn't help patients with Alzheimer's or dementia, the increase of blood flow helps with memory and cognitive functions with people who use it regularly.

Ginkgo is said to help with allergies, depression, ADHD, and asthma, as well as help reduce cancer risks due to the flavonoids that it contains.  It is said to have anti-aging properties and it is helpful to only a few patients of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.  Ginkgo isn't only for memory, it is also good for improving circulation in diabetics, males with erectile dysfunction, and those with Burger's disease.

Ginkgo Biloba causes side affects such as, headaches, nausea, dizziness or an allergic skin reaction.  Ginkgo may interfere with the effectiveness of other drugs as well.

This video shares information on how his herb supplement  is dangerous and Dr. Meschino goes over the dangers of Ginkgo Biloba, such as internal bleeding, the danger of mixing with ibuprofen and aspirin,

After a six year study on 3,000 people over the age of 75, it was proven that Ginkgo had no benefits.  However, others will claim otherwise.


Here's a cute video on Ginkgo Biloba fables in the Asian countries.

Are you Left-Brained, or Right-Brained?

Ever since I was a little girl, I would either see or take quizzes online or in school.  Before writing this blog, I took another quiz to see what side of my brain I used more.  Apparently, I use both hemispheres equally.

 I have never really understood how or why the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa.  Each hemisphere controls certain functions in its side; the left hemisphere, is responsible for speech and language, while the right hemisphere is responsible for reading emotions, detecting tones and such.

People who take the quiz and have results of the left hemisphere being more dominant are considered more verbal, happier, outgoing, good at languages and more fun loving.  "Left brained people have  greater activity in the frontal cortex," (pg. 361).

Right brained people are outspoken, artistic, impulsive, disorganized, daydreamers, socially withdrawn and more likely to experience unpleasant emotions. (361).  With the right side of the brain functioning, it is easier to detect the emotions of oneself and others as well as detecting tone of voice and sarcasm.

However, it is considered a myth in this video of how we are either dominant with one side of the brain instead of being able to do normal functions without being dominant in either left or right hemisphere.  Our brain is abe to function using the parts of the brain that correspond with the task at hand.  Anthony, also states that, "People who are good in math have better communication between both hemisphere, not an overly dominant left side."

Of course, this relates to your personality and a hypothesis of Jeffrey Gay on his Behavioral Activation System (BAS) for the left hemisphere, "which characterizes happiness or anger."  Perhaps that is why left brained people are happier and more outgoing.  For the right hemisphere, Gray had the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS), and perhaps that is why right brained people are more attentive and experience more emotions of fear and disgust.

Which one are you? Left or right brained? Click here!